October 24, 2011

Outdoor Time For Children Helps Vision Later In Life

A new study has found that spending more time outdoors is related to reduced rates of nearsightedness in children and adolescents.

An analysis of recent eye health studies by researchers shows that Myopia is more common today in the U.S. and many other countries than it was in the 1970s.

The analysis, drawn from eight studies on outdoor time and myopia in children and adolescents, found that more exposure to natural light and more time spent looking at distant objects may be the key factors.

Sherwin's team found that for each additional hour spent outdoors per week, the chance of myopia dropped by about two percent.

The study found that nearsighted children spent an average of 3.7 fewer hours per week outdoors than those who either had normal vision or were farsighted.

"Increasing children's outdoor time could be a simple and cost-effective measure with important benefits for their vision and general health" said Dr. Anthony Khawaja of the University of Cambridge said presenting the findings at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.